A blog for anyone who needs to know they are not alone in raising a bipolar child.

About our Daughter

I am mother to four wonderful daughters, ages 17, 19, 21, and 23, and wife to the greatest husband on earth. God has given us a special child to raise one who was diagnosed with early-onset bipolar disorder at the age of seven, though she showed signs of it from the age of fifteen months. She also has ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder (sensory seeking), Dyslexia, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder-NOS, all typical comorbidities for a bipolar child. In spite of the trials, she enjoys lacrosse, running (finished her first marathon in October of 2014!), and reading and writing her own books. I will share with you the many joys and sorrows we have faced and will face in the future with the hope that you may find better understanding about this mental illness caused by both chemical and structural abnormalities in the brain. I desire that you will be encouraged by this blog if you are also dealing with a bipolar child. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey.

How Did You Know She Was Bipolar So Young?

I wrote a long explanation of how we came to this bipolar diagnosis in a child so young under my post of March 19th of 2009. If your child or a child you know bears similarities, please seek out a good psychiatrist and don't wait for "things to get better." Often they will simply get worse, and the longer a child is unmedicated, the more damage their brain can accrue. Early diagnoses and treatment are key to providing these children with a chance at a successful life later as a teen and an adult.

Never change, start or stop a medication without the approval of your child's physician!

Friday, August 17, 2012

All is Well That Ends Well

In spite of the crazy day Caroline had at her first day of school yesterday, she seemed to stay positive. She actually ended up going to eight classes, just not the right classes or the right times. So when we thought she had just skipped three of her classes, she was actually in a class. But my ninth grader did the same thing with one of her classes, so she was in good company. I emailed her teachers and explained what had happened and hopefully they will be understanding. I do need to clue in the nurse at the school about her meds and also get that IEP going.

Present Medications

I am listing our daughter's medications because I know a lot of my followers would be interested in comparing notes, especially those just starting out on this journey. We started with just one medication, Trileptal, seven years ago. This ballooning to several meds is typical. Most bp kids end up needing at least one atypical anti-pyschotic, and one to two mood stabilizers, and often a sleep aid.